William d



(No Model.)

W. D. RWA-RT.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

No. 427,563. Pat-ented'MaJy 13, 189C.

62%@ www@ lUNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

,VILLIAM D. EWART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINILBELT MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,568, dated May 13, 1890. Application filed December 16, 1339. Serial No. 333.317. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern: the clutch disengaged and with more friction- Be it known that I, VILLIAM D. EWART, a disks, arranged as hereinafter explained. Fig. citizen of the United States, residing at Chi- 3 is an'end view looking in the direction of cago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented cer` the arrow in Fig. 1, and drawn on a smaller 5 tain new and useful Improvements in Fricscale. Figi is an enlarged perspective view 55 tion-Clutches,ofwh'ich the following isa speciof the toggle device. Fig. 5 is a Jtransverse fication. section on the line fr of Fig. 2, looking in the In the construction of friction-clutches it is direction of thearrows, and drawn on a smaller especially desirable that the gripping mechscale.

o anism be powerful, simple, compact, free from 1.and 2 are ends of two shafts connected by 6c proj ections,and self-locking; also that the fricthe clutch-coupling. The frame of the clutch tion-surfaces have ample clearance between is substantiallya plate-centered narrow-faced them whendisengaged, with facilities for repulley 3, which practically incloses the worknewing the non-metallic surfaces when worn ing parts within its rim. Gripping or presswithout disturbing the position of the clutch ure plate 4 is fitted looselyT inside of the rim 65 on the shafting. It is further desirable to use and connected with the plate center by the non-metallic in contact with metallic frictionreverse toggle mechanism. The long arm of surfaces, and as disk friction-clutches furnish the toggle is the bolt 5 and the short arm is the largest area of any self-contained form the diamond-shaped piece G, which in pracfor the non-metallic friction-fillers my inventice is convenient-ly made integral with the 7o tion relates to that class, and has for its oboperating arm orlever 7 ,as shown in the views, ject the construction of a clutch which shall although the two may be formed separately embody all the above mentioned desirable and united afterward, if desired. The link S feat-ures. connects the. operating-arm 7 with the sliding j To this end the invention may bc said to collar or sleeve 9, which is of the usual form 75 consist, essentially, in the novel arrangements and grooved to receive any suitable shifting of the following instrumentalities: A plate` mechanism. The clamping plates are procentered narrowfaced pulley connected with vided with studs 10, to support in position an in closed pressure-plate by reverse toggles the springs 11, which separate the plates when 3o which are operated by arms or levers sub# the clutch is disengaged. 8o stantially parallel to the plates and in prox- The pulley or frame 3 is fastened rigidly imitythereto when in engagen1ent,also springs to shaft 1 by a key 12 or other well-known for separating the plates, and central friction device, and all the above-mentioned parts redisk. or disks connected directly with hub on volve or stop with shaft 1. Connected with 3 5 shaft, all as fully explained hereinafter, and shaft 2, and partaking of its motion or rest, 3 5 as more speciiically defined in the claims. is the hub of the other portion of the clutch,

To enable those skilled in the art to which marked. 13. To this I attach integrally, as in myinvention relates to construct and operate Fig. 1, or loosely, as in Fig. 2, one or more a clutch using my improvements, I will now disks 14, which are plain and smooth in Fig.v

40 proceed to more fully describe the same, re- 2, but made with openings for friction-fillers 9o ferring to the accompanying drawings, which 15 in Fig. 1. form part of this speciiication, and in which IfIub 13 is secured loosely to shaft 2 by a similar parts are designated. by similar numfeather 13fL in Fig. 1and rigidly by a key 13b, bers and letters of reference throughout the in Fig. 2. Shaft 1 is maled into hub 13 to 45 several views5 aid in keeping the two shafts in lino with 95 Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a each other, and the antifriction bushing 16 five-arm clutch-coupling employing some of is employed at this point to prevent heating my improvements, the clutch. being shown in or cutting. engagement and having one central friction The pivotal connection between the rc- 5o disk. Fig. 2 is similar view, but showing verse toggles and gripping-plates is formed roo by the T-head 17 of the bolt 5 engaging with a recess in plate 4, and the pivotal bearing 18 of the piece G engaging with a recess in plate center of pulley The bolt 5 passes through the piece (i, as more fully shown in Fig. 4, and has a nut 19 for adjusting the degree of pressure between the gripping-plates and to take up wear. This nut bears directly on piece G in Fig. l; but .for better pivotal connection it may have a half-round or other shaped washer inserted under it, as shown at 2O in Fig. 2.

Where more than one central friction-disk is employed, I use between them, as in Fig. 2,additional plate or plates, as'2l.,interlocked with the rim of the pulley 3 by keys or lugs 22, thus permitting slight lateral movement for engaging and disengaging. For a similar reason, and in a practically similar manner, disks 14: are fitted to slide onv hub 13 in engagement with lugs, as at 23 in Fig. 5.

The mode of operation will be largely understood from the above description of the parts. In Fig. 2, which shows the clutch disengaged, it will be seen that the center lines of the arms 5 and 6 of the reverse toggles make quite a perceptible angle with each other. As the ends of the operating-arms 7 are moved by the shifting mechanism toward the plate center of pulley-frame 3 the angle between the toggle-arms will decrease, the arm G pivoting on its bearing 1S and shortening the distance between the gripping-plates in the well-known manner of reverse toggles.

By arranging the shapes and proportions so that toggle-arm will be moved slightly beyond the dead-center by the time operating-arm '7 has reached its limit of movement I make the device self-locking, so that nothing will throw it out of engagement except a movement of the shifting mechanism.

From the well-known principles of the toggle, it is evident that the device is very powerful, and that it is at its greatest advantage at the time of its greatest need-namely, when the friction-surfaces are in engagement; also that its comparatively large range of movement affords ample clearance between surfaces when disengaged.

The friction-surfaces may be of any suitable character, but I prefer to use metallic in engagement with non-metallic surfaces, the latter being preferably the end grain of wood, projecting slightly from the plate or diskin which these wood fillers are inserted. The fillers can be placed in suitable openings either in the disks or in the clamping-plates, provided they are so arranged in each case that in the application of pressure and friction the metallic comes in contact with the non-metallic surface.

It is desirable to use springs between the pressure-plates to separate them when the clutch is thrown out of engagement, and they should be so placed as not to interfere with the free movement of the working parts. I therefore locate the springs 10 outside ofthe periphery of the disk or disks and in the intermediate spaces between the toggle devices, as shown in dotted linesr in Fig. S and full lines in Fig. 5. These springs may be of any suitable shape and held in position in any suitable manner.

To get at the interior of the clutch to renew danger life at any time,) and the simplicity of construction reduces to a minimum the number of wearing parts.

It is evident that my improved clutch is applicable to any of the well-known uses of friction-clutches, and can be connected with pulleys, wheels, gears, sheaves, drums, dac., in any suitable manner; also that the platecentered pulley which forms the frame of my clutch can itself be'used as a pulley, wheel, gear, or sheave by fitting its rim for such a purpose, there being nothing in the mechanism or construction of this self contained clutch to interfere with such an adaptation of it. Vhen the clutch is used for these purposes, instead of as a clutch-coupling connecting-two shafts, either pulley 8 or hub 13 can be tted to revolve loosely on the shaft, while the opposite portion will be secured thereto.` It is evident that various methods of connecting hub 13 with disk or disks 14 loosely or rigidly maybe adopted without departing from my invention.

I prefer the above-described forms and relative proportions of toggle-arms 5 and 6 and operating-arms 7 and methods of connecting the lat-ter with the former, and of arranging the pivotal connections of the togglearms with each other and with the clampingplates; butit is obvious that other well-known forms, proportions, and methods can be employed without departing from my invention, and I wish it distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to them collectively or singly or to relative arrangements of them, except as specified in the claims.

I am well aware that toggles, reverse and otherwise, are old in the art, and I do not claim them, broadly; but

NVhat I do vclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a disk friction-clutch, a reverse toggle mechanism for operating the grippingplates, said mechanism being outside of the periphery of the disk or disks.

2. In a disk friction-eliltch provided with a self-locking gripping mechanism outside of the periphery of the disk or disks, operatingarms for engaging and disengagiug the same,

IOO

IIO

and links connecting arms with sliding eolthe periphery of the disk or disks and belar, said arms' and links arranged to be subtween the operating mechanisms and prop- 1o stantially parallel with lehe disk and hub, reerly held in place by said plates, as and for speotively, and in proximity thereto, all when the purpose specified.

5 the elnteh is in engagement, substantially as VILLIAM D. EVART.

and for the purpose set forth. W'itnesses:

3. In a disk friction-clutch, springs for sep- ARTHUR D. DANA, arating the gripping-plates located outside of WALTER F. ABBS.

l l l It is hereby certified that in Letters-Patent No. 427,563, granted May 13, 1890, upon the application of William D. Ewart, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Friotion-(llutohes, an error appears in the printed specification requiring eorreotion as follows, viz: In line 1, page 3, the syllable fore7 should be stricken out; and that the said Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that the saine may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed, eountersigned, and sealed this 12th day of August, A.v D. 1890.

GEO. CHANDLER, First Assistant Secretary of the Interior..

[SEAL] Gountersigned:

ROBERT J. FIsHER,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

